Two Day Monteverde Itinerary: Journey Into the Cloud Forest

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Two Days in Monteverde, Costa Rica

• Day 1: Arrive and settle into Koora Hotel, optional night tour
• Day 2: Ziplining and hiking in Santa Elena Cloud Forest
• Day 3: Hike El Tigre Waterfalls
• Departure Day: Aguti Reserve

Is Monteverde Worth Visiting?

Yes, I loved Monteverde! While researching my ten day trip to Costa Rica, I read a lot of mixed opinions online about Monteverde. This ranged from people raving about how wonderful it is to recommending skipping it. If you know you love the jungle and hiking, it’s worth visiting.

La Fortuna vs Monteverde: Having visited La Fortuna first, I still thought Monteverde was worth visiting. La Fortuna is different from Monteverde in that La Fortuna doesn’t have cloud forest. Cloud forest has a totally different feeling because you are higher up and you get a cool cloudy mist.

Monteverde has a very unique vibe to the town. While it is a top destination for tourists in Costa Rica, it doesn’t feel as touristy as La Fortuna.

Monteverde was worth visiting for the El Tigre Waterfall hike alone as it was better than any of the hikes I did during three days in La Fortuna.

When to Visit Monteverde

I visited Monteverde in mid-May during the rainy or “green” season. I did have rainy afternoons and evenings but after big morning hikes, it was a great excuse to relax at dinner or the hotel. Early rainy season of May to June is a good time to visit for deals on activities and hotels. It’s also a great time to see the lush green of the jungle and for seasonal waterfalls to be flowing.

For the best weather, visit from mid-December to April to avoid the rainy season. Keep in mind that Monteverde is still going to have rain and because of its higher elevation be a bit cooler, so keep a rain jacket and sweater packed.

How Many Days to Spend in Monteverde

I recommend spending three nights in Monteverde so you have two full days to explore the area. I personally would not cut anything from this itinerary.

If you only have one full day in Monteverde, my recommendation is to do the El Tigre Waterfalls hike. This hike is unique compared to other activities. Ziplining you may have done elsewhere in Costa Rica. The Santa Elena Reserve, while a fantastic area, may be similar to El Silencio in La Fortuna or Rainmaker Reserve near Manuel Antonio.

Where to Stay in Monteverde

The town of Santa Elena or the town of Monteverde are your options for accommodation in this area. The towns are connected, so both are convenient to activities. Most accommodation and restaurant options are located in Santa Elena. Either way, the towns are quite hilly so you will probably want to drive rather than walk to restaurants.

I stayed at Koora Hotel in Santa Elena. I cannot recommend this place enough. The location is perfect, there is even a bank on the way up to the hotel. It’s next to the Aguti Reserve and you have free entry to explore the trails any time you want. I had a room with a balcony and private plunge pool. At dusk and dawn there were so many animals that you could view from the cozy patio. I saw a family of coatis, including babies, that made my day. There was also an emerald toucanet that I never could get photos of but caught glimpses of as it hopped in the tree above the pool. Throughout the day you could stumble upon the motmot that appeared to live somewhere on the hotel grounds

Animal viewing aside, the room at Koora Hotel was spacious and comfortable. I loved the small details like using local companies for the bathroom amenities and coffee. The hotel’s restaurant has views out to the Pacific for your breakfast every morning. This was my favourite hotel in Costa Rica, and I could have spent my whole time there and been quite happy.

Hotel Flor de Bromelia is another great option in Santa Elena. They have private cabins that are in the jungle and locally owned. It’s in a great location with scenic views.

Where to Eat in Monteverde

Kire Restaurant: I ate here several times and loved the ambiance of sitting on a heated patio looking out to the Gulf of Nicoya. They do fantastic cocktails and have a great happy hour deal. Breakfast was always wonderful with amazing coffee and I loved the vegan casado that’s on their dinner menu. It’s a popular restaurant for the area so you should make a reservation.

The Jungle: Located in Santa Elena, this place earns its name. The restaurant has seating that faces the jungle so you can watch the clouds rise above it as you enjoy your food. I loved how there are multiple kitchens so you can choose which kind of food you want. They have Mediterranean, sushi, Indian and Thai menus. I went with Indian food and had the tofu tikka masala with naan and it was fantastic. There are gluten-free and plenty of vegan options.

The Perfect Two Day Itinerary for Monteverde

Day 1: Arrive to Monteverde

I used a rental car to get to Monteverde. If you are arriving directly from the airport, it is about 2 hours 45 minutes from Juan Santamaría Airport (SJO) in San Jose or 2 hours 20 minutes from  Liberia International Airport (LIR). I finished up 3 days in La Fortuna and drove the 3 hours around Lake Arenal it takes to get to Monteverde. For lunch, a popular spot to stop is Café & Macadamia. It has a great view of Lake Arenal and was the perfect place to get some coffee and give myself a few minutes to get over the car sickness from the winding roads.

From La Fortuna, the roads are initially easy to drive and paved, but they are very curvy. Closer to Monteverde is when a 4-wheel drive vehicle with higher clearance will come in handy. The road does turn into a dirt road with a lot of potholes. Because of this, I recommend arriving at your accommodation in Monteverde before dark. Sunset in Monteverde is between 5 to 6 pm.

I stayed at Koora Hotel in Santa Elena. I decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant, Kiré. It’s an excellent restaurant with views of the Gulf of Nicoya. You have enough time to join a night tour of Monteverde or you can spend the evening watching wildlife from your private plunge pool.

Day 2: Ziplining and Santa Elena Cloud Forest

Monteverde is the birthplace of ziplining so it’s the perfect way to start off your first full day! There are quite a few options to choose from. I went with Selvatura Park for ziplining. It has a great safety record and has 13 ziplines with the option to do a separate Tarzan Swing. One of the ziplines is even an incredible 1 km long!

After a brief safety meeting, you start off with a short zipline and go through tandem ziplines and end with the 1 km zipline. Everything is run very smoothly and there were only a few short waits to allow the operators to catch up with everyone.

At the end you can buy photographs of your experience. I recommend wearing something that has pockets that zip up so you can bring your phone along. The harnesses may be a bit rough on delicate fabrics as well.

Following ziplining, Selvatura Park also has enough options that you can stay busy there all day if you wish. There are multiple packages including one that takes you across hanging bridges, or to see sloths.

Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve

I only did the ziplining at Selvatura Park as I wanted to experience Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve. It’s right next door to Selvatura Park so it’s very convenient.

Unfortunately, my time at Santa Elena Reserve was a bit shorter than I planned as I picked up a nail in my tire and needed to swap it out for the spare. Luckily, one of the workers took pity on me and changed the tire for me. I was directed to a local mechanic by my car rental place to patch the tire after I finished at Santa Elena Cloud Forest.

The reserve does have a cafeteria for lunch before heading out on the trails. I started by hiking the Youth Challenge trail. Youth Challenge is only 1.4 km and takes you to the highest part of the reserve. There’s a lookout tower that you can climb to look out over the forest. On clear days, you can see up to 4 volcanoes, including Arenal Volcano. It’s a great little trail with beautiful cloud forest and lots of moss dripping from trees. It’s quite a similar vibe to what you would experience in the cloud forests of Ometepe, Nicaragua.

After doing the Youth Challenge Trail, I did Sendero Encantado (3.4 km). This trail was quite easy as well. As I walked through the forest, I heard multiple Black faced solitaire birds and their eerie calls (listen here), but was never able to spot one. I also was able to catch a glimpse of the famous quetzal bird. This trail lived up to its name of Encantado as the forest felt magical with dense fog and thick understory.

I would have happily spent longer in Santa Elena Cloud Forest Reserve if I hadn’t had to take care of my rental car tire before dark. Patching up the tire at the mechanics was luckily very fast and cost under $5. I had dinner at Koora Hotel again and had an early night before a big hiking day.

Day 3: El Tigre Waterfalls

El Tigre Waterfalls was my favourite hike and probably my favourite day on my 10 day trip to Costa Rica. You can purchase your entry directly from their website, and they also have shuttle options in case you aren’t driving. It is a 30-minute drive from Santa Elena town so if you are traveling in a busy season, I would book in advance before making the drive.

You have a couple options at El Tigre for hiking. You can hike the entire 8 km trail, which is what I did, or you can opt for a 4×4 or horse ride for 3 km to skip hiking uphill. Having hiked the entire thing, you do not miss out on anything if you choose to take a horse. The horses looked well cared for so if you want a horseback riding experience in Costa Rica, this is a good place to include it.

The trail for El Tigre Waterfalls starts with a descent down the mountain and a view of the first main waterfall. There are 6 main waterfalls as well as multiple smaller waterfalls. It felt like there was a new waterfall after each corner. In a couple of spots, you need to cross a shallow section of the stream.

El Tigre Waterfalls has 8 hanging bridges. These hanging bridges are totally different than the ones at Mistico Hanging Bridges in La Fortuna. They are single-person bridges and they have a lot wilder feeling to them. Walking across these bridges in the jungle makes you feel like an explorer.

The dense forest is a great spot to look out for some unique species like the Exophthalmus nicaraguensis weevil. I also spotted an epiphyte that was somehow rainbow coloured.

Closer to the end of the waterfall hike you can swim in the river. At the end of the main hike, they provide you with a fruit snack and give you the opportunity to take a zipline bicycle. If you are continuing to hike, there is a bathroom near the horse and 4×4 area before starting your walk uphill.

I did like some of the views from the hike back to the start but it was fairly exposed to the sun so it’s easy to heat up. One perk was I saw a blue morpho butterfly, which I will never tire of.

While I didn’t see any large wildlife like monkeys or sloths, there are a lot of smaller things to appreciate. Close to the reception, I was able to spot some vibrant Fire-star orchids next to the path as well as some noisy Crimson-fronted Parakeets high up in a tree.

Back at the El Tigre Waterfall reception, the cafeteria gives hikers free tea and sugarcane juice. I thought it was a nice touch because I was seriously in need of some sugar after that hike. The cafeteria also has views of Lake Arenal and Arenal Volcano. It’s the only time I was able to see the volcano without clouds as I didn’t luck out when I was in La Fortuna.

Day 4: Aguti Reserve and Departure

If you have time before you have to leave Monteverde, I recommend a quick walk in Aguti Reserve next to Koora Hotel. It was the perfect way to end my time in Monteverde as I could have a quick walk before having to be in the car for most of the day driving to Manuel Antonio.

Aguti Reserve surprised me with its pretty trails and spectacular fig trees. Wandering the trails, I was able to spot the agouti along the forest floor as well as a motmot in the trees. As I finished my hike, a group of howler monkeys travelled noisily through the canopy. While I just did a short hike, the entire trail takes about 2 hours.

If you have more time, you can also head next door to Natuwa Monteverde, a wildlife sanctuary. The wildlife sanctuary has rescued animals, including tapirs, jaguars, and sloths. It takes about 1 hour to tour the sanctuary.

Spending Three Nights in Monteverde

Three nights is the perfect amount of time to explore Monteverde for the first time. With beautiful cloud forests, unforgettable hiking, and tons of wildlife, this is sure to be a highlight of your vacation in Costa Rica.

If you enjoy cloud forests, some Latin American options include hiking Maderas volcano in Nicaragua and Cocora Valley or Minca in Colombia.